Leverkusen, pushing Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund hard at the top of the standings, eventually claimed three valuable points in a 2-1 win, but it has come at a cost.

Kiessling, bidding for a regular place up front in the German international team for the World Cup in Brazil, has been subjected to much criticism and there have been renewed demands for FIFA to introduce video technology to help referees in such situations.

After a 90-minute hearing in Frankfurt, the head of the DFB tribunal, Judge Hans E. Lorenz said they had been left with "no alternative" but to uphold the original result.

"The question isn't whether this judgment satisfies us from a sporting perspective," he said in a statement on the DBF website.

"From a legal point of view, there is no alternative. There are no grounds for the appeal. The factual decision may have been incorrect, but it is irrevocable."